


difficult conversations always happen on rooftops in this family

by sophycroft



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, batfam christmas stocking 2018, let these poor boys have a mother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 14:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17185019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophycroft/pseuds/sophycroft
Summary: On Mother's Day, Jason and Damian discuss Talia al Ghul.





	difficult conversations always happen on rooftops in this family

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reisling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reisling/gifts).



> Merry Christmas! I hope you like this little moment. I tried very hard to get the two of them in character. (Jason's backstory is pulled mostly from his comic-canon death.)

“Why the long face, brat?”

“Tt. I'm not upset, Todd. I am annoyed.”

He turned from attempting to glare a hole in the Red Hood’s helmet to the equally unobtainable goal of glaring the Gotham skyline into submission. For a second neither boy spoke, and the only sounds were those of the city far below them. Then Robin continued.

“Teacher had us craft cards today in celebration of ‘Mother's Day’. I refused to participate because I would have no way of sending such a card. The reactions to my refusal were…. unpleasant.”

“What’d they say, kid?”

Damian scrunched up his face in frustration. “They were… sympathetic. They told me they were sorry I didn't have a mother around. But what was worse was that they implied I was worthy of their pity because my own mother does not love me enough to raise me.” He shook his head. “I know that is not true, I know she loves me, but it is humiliating! And I cannot even tell them they are wrong, not so long as Mother leaves me here to Father's care.”

Jason sighed. “Did you talk to Dick or Bruce about this?”

Damian didn't answer, which was answer enough.

“You know, they mean well, but I think they forget sometimes that you and I have a living mother we care about.”

Damian turned sharply to stare at Jason again. “Your mothers are dead, Todd. Both of them.”

“That's what it says in my file, yeah. But I wasn't talking about them. I was talking about _your_ mother.”

“My mother,” Damian deadpanned.

“Talia,” Jason agreed. “She's easily the least shitty of all three of my mother figures. And I know that if you've learned one thing from this family, it's that family doesn't always mean blood.”

Damian nodded tersely, but with a softer look that generally meant he was thinking of Dick Grayson.

“I loved the woman I grew up calling my mom. I still love her. But she didn't protect me. She made me struggle to take care of her, instead. And when she died, I had nothing.

When I found out my birth mother was alive, I was so excited that I got onto a plane to Africa without telling Bruce. I wanted to help her, and she betrayed me. She didn't protect me, either; she gave me to the fucking clown.

And then when Talia found me, she had plans for me. But she protected me! She nursed me back to health as best she could, and she argued with Ra’s about throwing me in the pit. When she lost that argument, and I was batshit crazy from the Lazarus pit, she gave me a direction and she gave me training to refine my skills so I didn't get myself killed.

So, the way I see it, Talia al Ghul has been a better mother to me than anyone else.”

“I do not think the others would agree with you,” Damian observed. “Mother is a killer who does not follow their morality, so she cannot be a part of our lives.”

“Do you feel that way?” Jason asked.

“I miss her,” Damian admitted. “I remember, sometimes, when Grandfather was not around, she would sing to me. Songs her mother once sung to her.”

“I'd kill her for some of the things she put you through growing up, but I also know she loves you in her way, and I know that you love her.” Jason shrugged. “So no judgement here.”

An easy silence settled over the two brothers.

“Damian, if you want to send Talia a Mother's Day card, I promise I'll find a way to get it to her.”

“It is unnecessary,” the boy protested. “It's is not like we ever celebrated the holiday when we were together.”

“But you want to.”

“I do,” he admitted.

It took a few months and a few favors, but Damian’s card made it into the hands of the Demon’s Daughter, and a CD travelled back to Gotham in return.

Damian listened to the sound of his mother's voice with a smile.


End file.
